Students create a magical ice castle for Christmas Land
Art & Design students added a touch of creativity and magic to Havering Mind’s annual Christmas Land event.
Barking & Dagenham College students brought a festive touch to life with their latest project, designing and building a dazzling Ice Castle for the popular Christmas attraction. The installation created a magical space for children and families to enjoy.
BBC News attended the event on 9th December, which was thrilling for all involved, not least the students.
The project began several months ago, with all Level 3 Art & Design students competing to conceptualise and design the best Ice Castle. Students produced detailed storyboards to develop their ideas. At the start of November, the Havering Mind team visited the College to judge the designs. After careful deliberation, one winning design was chosen, which guided the final creation of the Ice Castle, including additional elements such as a throne and extra ice features.
Ciaran White, Events and Partnership Development Manager at Havering Mind, praised the students’ efforts:
“We were delighted to have the students from Barking & Dagenham College get involved with our Havering Christmas Land attraction this year. What they have designed and created has added a magical new element to our attraction that thousands of local people will see and enjoy! Well done to the students and their dedicated teachers for all their hard work.”
The winning students then led their peers to bring the design to life. Over several weeks, they worked in the College’s art studio, transforming the concept into a full-scale Ice Castle. The frame was built by Havering Mind, while students and College technicians, Jake and Claire, completed the decoration and finishing touches. Once finished, the Ice Castle was transported and installed at its final location in Christmas Land, alongside a Polar Express train and an igloo, both organised by Havering Mind.
Students also visited the venue to help dress the Ice Castle ahead of Christmas Land’s grand opening on 28th November.
The four winning students were delighted with the opportunity:
Alaa El Hajjaoui, 16, from Dagenham said:
“I contributed to the Havering Mind Christmas Land with an ice crown for the ice queen dress. I loved the process of creating it from scratch and going all out with the glitter embellishments—I think it really pulled the crown all together. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity and loved every minute of being able to see me and my peers’ hard work being put on display to help further the charity cause of the event.”
Sarah Chowdhury, 19, from Dagenham said:
“We had the honourable mention to create pieces for Havering Mind, it was a long, fun and very enjoyable experience to go through. To see the smiles of the public who came to visit, warmed my heart that the work of my own is what makes others happy. The overall result couldn’t have been better, the colours, the lights, the atmosphere was amazing.”
Lillie Rose Bish, 17, from Dagenham said:
“I contributed to the Havering Christmas Land by creating six storyboard panels which were featured alongside the Ice Castle and the several other additions to the Barking & Dagenham College Christmas project. For the story boards, I designed the story of Icee and Nicee, the two penguins that became best friends and swore to protect the castle. And I would like to say many thanks to the production team from Havering Mind and for the Colleges support to help take part in the Christmas Land for all to enjoy.”
Brook Raymond, 16, from Romford said:
“At the start I was really excited to work on this winter wonderland project, being a part of such a welcoming community and knowing that what I was making would lead to something positive. It was a great honour to meet Caroline and her team and for them to pick my design to be a part of their attraction, I was overjoyed seeing my design in real time and seeing people interact with frosty, the bear I designed. It had truly brought tears to my eyes both figuratively and literally.”
The students’ work was enjoyed by countless visitors to the festive attraction. To celebrate their achievements, Havering Mind hosted a special student evening on 10th December, attended by students, their families, the Mayors, the Principal, and members of the College leadership team.
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